Only 70 days to go! AWBF 2025 is Live!
The Moutohora waka unua sails with the Endeavour, November 2nd, 1769.
Oil on linen canvas. Copyright A. D. Blake, 2024. All rights reserved
October 1769 - six kilometres off the coast of Wakatane, on the East Coast of Aotearoa/New Zealand the ENDEAVOUR sails in company with the Moutohora waka unua. Moutohora Island, Whale Island, can be easily seen.
For over an hour with Tupia, on board Endeavour, spoke with crew of the MOUTOHORA WAKA UNUA. Later in the same week, November 2nd 1769, while anchored, Herman Spoering a 35 year old draughtsman of natural history and personal secretary to Joseph Banks, made an accurate sketch – sails and panel arrangement, construction – of the MOUTOHORA WAKA UNUA while the craft paddled around.
Notice if you will the sail made of woven flax panels. A zig zag woven pattern, each panel with sections allowing light to show through.
MOUTOHORA WAKA UNUA consisted of an 18 metre long central Waka Tua lashed apart from a smaller canoe. Look at the sail fastened to two spars, supported by forestay and backstays. The sail, 9m high, is not triangular but carries a width of 1m at the base.
Can you see the lengths of the two backstays being changed by crew members to better shape the sail? See the members bailing water out of the smaller canoe? It is lower to the water than the larger waka tua and waves have splashd over the gunwales.
The wind is from astern, thus enabling the MOUTOHORA WAKA UNUA to sail, with swells, from the starboard quarter, lifting the bows.
And so begin the stories of the AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL 2025! With the program officially launched, check out the poster that is the combination of two legendary Aotearoa/New Zealand artists -Tony Blake and Michael Tuffery.
The program is packed – view the website and make sure to browse via the PROGRAM FLIPBOOK.
SWS is thrilled to be involved in the sailing of NGATAKI from Melbourne to Hobart and, if the weather god’s smile, we’ll be sailing Johnny Wray’s beauty on Saturday Feb 8 in an historic rally against TE RAPUNGA
In my humble opinion - and with full disclosure, fellow editor Mark Chew is an AWBF board member – the evolution of the festival is truly exciting and world class.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing information about a couple of specific highlights and mentioning the sessions SWS will be hosting as part of the Symposium.
